Disaster aid set for town hit by storm

ANCHORAGE — The state will run a disaster assistance center in Savoonga to help residents whose homes were damaged after a storm caused prolonged power outages.

The center will operate at the village city hall next week from Tuesday through Saturday, Jan. 29, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day.

Jeremy Zidek with the Alaska Division of Homeland Security says state assistance specialists will help in the effort.

In late December through early January, a severe winter storm brought high winds and cold temperatures to the community. It also sprayed the village with salt water that froze on electrical transmission lines, causing power outages, which led to frozen and broken water pipes.

About 700 people live in the community on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea.